Shale gas development and infant health: Evidence from Pennsylvania

Abstract

This research exploits the introduction of shale gas wells in Pennsylvania in response to growing controversy around the drilling method of hydraulic fracturing. Using detailed location data on maternal addresses and GIS coordinates of gas wells, this study examines singleton births to mothers residing close to a shale gas well from 2003 to 2010 in Pennsylvania. The introduction of drilling increased low birth weight and decreased term birth weight on average among mothers living within 2.5 km of a well compared to mothers living within 2.5 km of a permitted well. Adverse effects were also detected using measures such as small for gestational age and APGAR scores, while no effects on gestation periods were found. In the intensive margin, an additional well is associated with a 7 percent increase in low birth weight, a 5 g reduction in term birth weight and a 3 percent increase in premature birth. These results are robust to other measures of infant health, many changes in specification and falsification tests. These findings suggest that shale gas development poses significant risks to human health.

Environmentally-related health impacts of coal seam gas development: An impact assessment approach in Queensland, Australia

“…It was noted that the design "relies heavily on the assumption that the characteristics of mothers who live close to a permitted well are similar to those who live close to an actual existing well" (Hill, 2012, p. 4). While the results suggested UNGD exposure increases low birth weight and small for gestational age prevalence by 25% and 17%, respectively, and the author stated that this study provides evidence that UNGD detrimentally affects foetal development (Hill, 2012), numerous explanations (e.g., other changes in the area, including in/out migration) could be attributed to this rather than the explanation of pollution associated with UNGD. This study presents significant methodological limitations compared to the previous birth outcome study that was discussed.…”

“…Some have concluded that there is a relationship between congenital heart defects and the density of, as well as proximity to, UNGD , and that UNGD exposure increases prevalence of certain birth outcomes (Hill, 2012). Conversely, Fryzek et al's (2013) study about childhood cancer in relation to hydraulic fracturing found that the number of cancer cases was no higher than that which could generally be expected in the study area.…”

“…Two 'highly relevant' studies focused on short-term impacts (e.g., preterm birth, low birth weight, and congenital malformations) on infant health (Hill, 2012;McKenzie et al, 2014). McKenzie et al…”

“…A variety of data and information sources were used in these studies, including vital statistics on birth outcomes (Hill, 2012;McKenzie et al, 2014), cancer registries (Fryzek, Pastula, Jiang, & Garabrant, 2013), hospitalisation data (Coons & Walker, 2008), and self-report surveys (Saberi et al, 2014;Steinzor, Subra, & Sumi, 2013). These studies have predominantly used readily available data, which are generally low cost and allow for large-scale comparison (e.g., vital statistics and hospitalisation data).…”

“…The seven studies that were deemed 'highly relevant' comprised a variety of study designs. The designs included cross-sectional studies, which also included some form of environmental testing or biomonitoring (Steinzor et al, 2012(Steinzor et al, , 2013 Texas Department of State Health Services, 2010a), an ecological study (Fryzek et al, 2013), a retrospective cohort study , 'differencein-differences' design (Hill, 2012), and a qualitative study using an ethnographic approach (S. Perry, 2013).There was also a clear distinction in terms of where studies have been conducted and in which geographical areas the research was focused. The majority of the studies were done in the USA, with only a small number of studies coming from other areas.…”